TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has been using its domestically developed DeepSeek AI platform to develop autonomous weapons, according to Reuters.

DeepSeek models were mentioned in about a dozen tenders from People’s Liberation Army–affiliated organizations this year, Reuters reported. Citing the Jamestown Foundation, it added that DeepSeek-related procurement notices have increased in 2025, with new military applications “appearing regularly on the PLA network.”

Analysts say DeepSeek’s rise inside the PLA signals a push for “algorithmic sovereignty” — reducing reliance on foreign technology and strengthening domestic digital infrastructure, per Reuters.

Projects cited include AI-powered robot dogs operating in packs and drone swarms that track targets autonomously. Based on patents, tenders, and research papers reviewed by Reuters, the PLA also aims to use AI to bolster military planning and improve satellite image analysis.

Researchers at Landship Information Technology claimed in February their system can rapidly identify targets from satellite imagery and coordinate with radars and aircraft. In May, Xi’an Technological University researchers said a DeepSeek-powered system evaluated 10,000 battlefield scenarios in 48 seconds, Reuters reported.

According to a patent filed this year, Beihang University is using DeepSeek to enhance drone-swarm decision-making against “low, slow, small” threats, Reuters said. The news agency said it could not independently verify these claims.

Despite shifting to domestic processors such as Huawei’s, China continues to use Nvidia products, Reuters reported. The PLA still seeks Nvidia chips, including models under US export controls. The US Commerce Department banned exports of Nvidia’s A100 and H100 chips to China in September 2022.

Nvidia spokesperson John Rizzo downplayed PLA reliance on the company’s chips, telling Reuters that China “has more than enough domestic chips for all of its military applications.”